Amazon-owned Zoox has unveiled its first self-driving robotaxi. The autonomous electric vehicle is a "carriage-style" car that can seat up to four passengers, has no steering wheel, can run for 16 hours on a single charge, and can travel at up to 75 miles per hour.
"We are reimagining and reinventing personal transportation, making it cleaner, safer, and just more enjoyable for everyone," said Zoox CEO Aicha Evans.
Evans elaborated on the passenger experience for the robotaxi, comparing it to the likes of Uber and Lyft — except for a driver behind the wheel, of course.
"We'll have an app that will be available to download, and you'll request a ride to go from point A to point B. You will get a little icon that the vehicle is coming. It will pull up, its doors will open up, you slide in, sit down, buckle up, press start, and then you will have a little screen where you can control your music, see the progress on your route as well as adjust the temperature," she explained.
The robotaxi is designed for city streets, meaning it must be cognizant of pedestrians, other vehicles, and even double-parked cars. While this may seem like a daunting challenge for a driverless vehicle, Evans said each vehicle's advanced sensors are up to the task.
"You have those sensor pods at all four corners giving us a 270-degree view from each corner," the CEO explained. "There are always three pods looking at something, so we can see behind and around things."
Evans continued to emphasize the importance of safety for the robotaxi, especially as Zoox tests its vehicles before deploying them in cities across the U.S. and globally. We [want to] have trust with the consumers and they feel comfortable taking this service and being transported."
Zoox was acquired in a deal with Amazon earlier this year for $1.3 billion. Evans stated that Zoox was confident in the industry giant because "this is a company that is long-term oriented. They've done things like this in many different industries." However, while many believed Zoox's autonomous vehicles would be used for deliveries under Amazon (Evans conceded that could be an option further down the road), the company's plan has never strayed from its intended path.
"Our focus is getting to market and really delight customers moving around cities."
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickup trucks across the U.S. because of an instrument panel display failure that’s resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
Nvidia reported a 56% increase in second-quarter revenue and a 59% rise in net income compared to a year ago.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos claims audiences don't want to watch Netflix movies in theaters, but that seems not to be the case recently.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
